Safety & Emergency Protocols

At Austin Achieve Public Schools (AAPS), the safety and security of our scholars, staff, families, and visitors is a shared responsibility and a top priority.

AAPS maintains a Multi-Hazard Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and works collaboratively with local law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, emergency management agencies, and other community partners to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Our emergency preparedness program addresses the full emergency-management cycle:

Prevention • Mitigation • Preparedness • Response • Reunification • Recovery

AAPS regularly reviews its safety procedures, conducts required emergency drills, trains staff and scholars, evaluates campus security measures, and updates emergency plans in response to changes in law, guidance, identified risks, and lessons learned.

Standard Response Protocol (SRP)

Austin Achieve Public Schools uses the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), developed by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation and supported through the Texas School Safety Center.

SRP provides clear, consistent terminology that scholars, staff, families, visitors, and first responders can understand during an emergency.
Rather than creating a different response for every possible emergency, SRP uses five actions:

 HOLD: In Your Room or Area. Clear the Halls.

A Hold is used when hallways or common areas need to remain clear while normal activities can generally continue inside classrooms or designated areas.
Examples may include a medical emergency, a maintenance issue, or another situation that requires hallways to remain clear.

Scholars should:
- Clear the hallways.
- Remain in their classroom or assigned area.
- Follow staff instructions.
- Continue normal activities unless instructed otherwise.

Staff should:
- Clear the hallways and bring scholars to the appropriate rooms or areas.
- Close and lock classroom or area doors as appropriate.
- Account for scholars and adults.
- Continue normal activities unless additional instructions are provided.
- Remain in the Hold until an authorized announcement ends or changes the response.

 SECURE: Get Inside. Lock Outside Doors.

A Secure is used when a potential threat or hazard exists outside the school building.
Examples may include nearby police activity, criminal activity in the surrounding area, or another external hazard.

Scholars should:
- Return inside the building when directed.
- Follow staff instructions.
- Continue normal activities inside the building unless instructed otherwise.

Staff should:
- Bring everyone indoors when safe to do so.
- Secure exterior access points according to campus procedures.
- Increase situational awareness.
- Account for scholars and adults.
- Continue normal activities inside the building when appropriate.

During a Secure, entry and exit from the campus may be restricted or temporarily suspended.

 LOCKDOWN: Locks, Lights, Out of Sight.

A Lockdown is used when a dangerous situation or threat exists inside or in the immediate vicinity of the school and remaining secured within a room provides protection.

Scholars should:
- Move away from doors and windows and remain out of sight.
- Maintain silence.
- Follow staff instructions.
- Not open classroom or exterior doors.

Staff should:
- Bring scholars from hallways into a secure room when it is safe and immediately possible.
- Lock classroom or area doors.
- Turn off lights.
- Move occupants away from sight.
- Maintain silence.
- Account for scholars when circumstances allow.
- Follow emergency instructions and directions from responding law enforcement.

During a Lockdown, staff and scholars should not open secured doors simply because someone requests entry. Responding law enforcement and authorized emergency personnel will direct the transition from a Lockdown when appropriate.

 SHELTER: State the Hazard and Safety Strategy.

Shelter is used when specific protective actions are necessary because of a weather, environmental, or other hazard.

Possible hazards include:
- Severe thunderstorms or tornadoes
- Hazardous-material releases
- Flooding
- Extreme weather
- Other environmental hazards

The announcement will identify both the hazard and the appropriate protective action.

Protective strategies may include:
- Moving to designated severe-weather areas
- Moving away from windows
- Sealing a room
- Evacuating to a safer location
- Drop, Cover, and Hold
- Other hazard-specific protective actions

Scholars, staff, and visitors should immediately follow the announced safety strategy.

 HOLD: In Your Room or Area. Clear the Halls

A Hold is used when hallways or common areas need to remain clear while normal activities can generally continue inside classrooms or designated areas.
Examples may include a medical emergency, a maintenance issue, or another situation that requires hallways to remain clear.

Scholars should:
- Clear the hallways.
- Remain in their classroom or assigned area.
- Follow staff instructions.
- Continue normal activities unless instructed otherwise.

Staff should:
- Clear the hallways and bring scholars to the appropriate rooms or areas.
- Close and lock classroom or area doors as appropriate.
- Account for scholars and adults.
- Continue normal activities unless additional instructions are provided.
- Remain in the Hold until an authorized announcement ends or changes the response.

Parent & Guardian Guidance During an Emergency

Should I come to campus?
Unless specifically directed by AAPS, parents and guardians should not come to the campus during an active emergency.
Additional vehicles and people can interfere with police, fire, EMS, and school emergency operations. Access to the campus may also be restricted.
AAPS will provide instructions when it is safe and appropriate for families to respond to a campus or reunification location.

Can I pick up my scholar?
Scholar release may be temporarily suspended during a Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuation, Shelter, or other emergency condition.
AAPS will resume release when school officials and/or emergency responders determine it can be accomplished safely.

Should I call the school?
During a significant emergency, families should avoid calling the campus unless they have critical information that could assist emergency responders.
High call volumes can interfere with emergency communications.
Please monitor official AAPS communication channels for updates.

Should I text or call my scholar?
During certain emergencies—particularly a Lockdown—phone calls, notification sounds, or unnecessary communication could create additional risks or distract scholars from emergency instructions.
Families should avoid repeatedly calling or messaging scholars during an active emergency and should wait for official AAPS instructions whenever possible.

Reunification

Some emergencies may require scholars to be evacuated from campus and reunited with parents or guardians at another location.

AAPS maintains reunification procedures designed to safely and systematically return scholars to authorized parents or guardians while maintaining accountability for every scholar.

If reunification is necessary:
- AAPS will communicate the reunification location and instructions to families when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
- Families should not automatically report to the school campus.
- Parents and guardians should bring identification whenever possible.
- Scholars will only be released according to established authorization and accountability procedures.
- Families should follow staff and law-enforcement directions at the reunification location.
- Reunification may take time following a major emergency. Maintaining accurate accountability for every scholar is the priority.

For security reasons, alternate reunification locations may not be publicly identified in advance.

Emergency Drills & Preparedness

Emergency drills allow scholars and staff to practice protective actions before an actual emergency occurs.

In accordance with Texas requirements, AAPS conducts required emergency drills and incorporates emergency preparedness throughout the school year.

Current Texas requirements include:
- Secure: At least one drill each school year
- Lockdown: Two drills each school year, with one conducted each semester
- Evacuation: At least one drill each school year
- Shelter: At least one drill each school year for severe weather or hazardous-material response
- Fire: Conducted in accordance with applicable fire code and local authority requirements

AAPS may conduct additional drills or exercises, as appropriate, to strengthen emergency preparedness.

Drills are intended to provide a safe environment for practicing emergency procedures. They should be conducted in an age-appropriate manner and clearly distinguished from an actual emergency.

Accessibility & Individual Safety Needs

AAPS is committed to ensuring scholars, staff, and visitors with disabilities, mobility limitations, communication needs, medical needs, or other access and functional needs can participate safely in emergency procedures.

Emergency planning includes consideration of appropriate accommodations for scholars with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Section 504 plans during mandatory emergency drills and actual emergencies.

Campus staff responsible for implementing these accommodations receive appropriate information necessary to support the scholar's safety while maintaining confidentiality.

Visitors & Volunteers

Visitors and volunteers on an AAPS campus during a drill or emergency must follow instructions provided by school staff and emergency responders.
Depending on the emergency, visitors may be required to Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, or Shelter with scholars and staff.
Visitors should not leave a protected area or attempt to retrieve another person unless directed to do so.

Accountability During an Emergency

AAPS maintains procedures for accounting for scholars, staff, and visitors following emergencies and evacuations.
Staff members are responsible for maintaining accountability for the scholars under their supervision and reporting missing, additional, injured, or medically vulnerable individuals through established emergency procedures.
Accountability procedures may include rosters and visual or electronic accountability systems depending on the circumstances.

Working With First Responders

AAPS coordinates emergency preparedness and response with appropriate law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, emergency management, and other public-safety partners.
During a significant emergency, responding public-safety agencies and AAPS will establish an appropriate Incident Command structure to coordinate emergency operations.
Scholars, staff, families, and visitors must follow instructions from school officials and first responders.

Safety is a Shared Responsibility

Scholars, families, and staff play an important role in maintaining safe schools.
Anyone who becomes aware of a potential threat, weapon, suspicious behavior, concerning communication, or other immediate safety concern should report it promptly to school administration or appropriate authorities.
In an immediate or life-threatening emergency, call 911.
AAPS evaluates safety concerns through established district procedures and, when necessary, works with appropriate school personnel, mental health professionals, law enforcement, and community partners.

Our Commitment

Austin Achieve Public Schools continually evaluates its safety and security practices.

Our emergency procedures are informed by applicable Texas law, Texas Education Agency requirements, Texas School Safety Center guidance, the Standard Response Protocol, local emergency-response partners, and lessons learned from drills, exercises, audits, and actual incidents.

Safety procedures and the district's Multi-Hazard Emergency Operations Plan are reviewed and updated as requirements, risks, facilities, and best practices change.

Some emergency procedures, security measures, facility information, and operational details are intentionally not made public in order to protect the safety and security of our scholars and staff.

Preparedness. Communication. Accountability. Safety.